The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies (한국전자거래학회지)

Society for e-Business Studies (한국전자거래학회)
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An Exploratory Study on Domestic Mobile Games and In-app Payment Fees

국내 모바일 게임 및 인앱 결제 수수료 적정성에 대한 탐색적 연구

  • Lee, Taehee (College of Business Administration, Kookmin University) ;
  • Jeon, Seongmin (College of Business, Gachon University)
  • Received : 2021.05.31
  • Accepted : 2021.08.22
  • Published : 2021.08.31
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Abstract

The mobile application (APP) market is growing at an unprecedented speed. Amid such growth, the global platform providers are mandating exclusive in-app payments and charging 30% for platform commission fees. A serious tension has arisen between mobile global platform providers and local content providers. The present study attempts to analyze the domestic mobile game market and in-app payment commission fees. This study estimates the size of the domestic mobile game market and platform commission fees by directly using publicly available financial statements and footnote information of some representative listed mobile game firms. Also, the study analyzes the cost structures of the same sample firms and attempts to draw some implications on sustainable growths of the mobile game ecosystem. We estimated that, in 2019, the domestic mobile game market is around 4.9 trillion Won and the ensuing in-app payment commission fees market was 1.5 trillion Won. High market share firms display a proportional increase in in-app payment commission fees in relation to sales growth. This, in turn, makes the in-app payment commission fees a primary cost item far exceeding employee salaries and R&D expenses. During the same period, low market share firms generated a mere profit or experienced net loss. Analysis of the cost structure reveals that these firms are even more liable to higher in-app payment commission fee cost structure than high market share. Most constituents of the mobile game ecosystem are small business entrepreneurs. By employing a micro-level analysis, the study estimates that, in 2019, a representative median firm generates 530 million Won in sales. At the same time, it spends 190 million Won in employee salaries, 50 Won million in R&D and 190 million Won in in-app payment commission fees, respectively. In the absence of other cost items, these three cost items alone account for 73.8% of sales revenue. The results imply that a sustainable growth of the local mobile game market heavily depends upon the cost structure of such representative median firm, the in-app payment commission fees being the primary cost item of such firm.

전 세계적으로 모바일 애플리케이션 (APP) 시장의 급성장 속에서 글로벌 플랫폼 사업자들은 30%의 플랫폼 결제수수료뿐만 아니라 인앱 결제를 강제하면서 콘텐츠 제공업체들과 갈등이 커지고 있는 상황이다. 본 연구의 목적은 콘텐츠 산업 창업 분야에서 중요한 비중을 차지하고 있는 국내 모바일 게임 시장 및 인앱 결제 수수료의 적정성을 분석하고자 한다. 본 논문에서는 상장 게임회사의 재무제표 공시자료를 직접 이용하여 국내 모바일 게임시장 및 이에 따른 플랫폼 수수료 시장 규모를 추정하였으며, 관련 게임업체들의 공시 매출 및 원가정보를 이용하여 인앱 결제 수수료가 원가 구조에 미치는 영향을 분석하고, 이것이 모바일 게임 시장의 동태적 효율성이나 생태계의 지속가능성에 미치는 함의를 도출하였다. 분석 결과, 2019년 국내 모바일 게임 시장 규모는 49,230억 원이며, 인앱 결제 수수료 규모는 14,761억 원이다. 시장점유율 상위 모바일 게임회사의 경우, 매출 중 모바일 게임 매출 비중이 높을수록 영업비용 중 인앱 결제 수수료가 차지하는 비중이 높아지며, 종업원 급여나 연구개발비와 같은 필수 비용 요소를 크게 상회하는 수준으로 지출된다. 하위 모바일 게임회사 상당수의 영업이익은 매출 대비 미미한 수준이거나 적자인 것을 알 수 있는데, 이는 인앱 결제 수수료가 매우 큰 부분을 차지하기 때문이다. 모바일 게임 생태계를 구성하는 기업들은 대부분 중소게임업체들이다. 이들의 평균(중앙치)에 해당하는 가상 기업은 2019년 기준으로 매출 5.3억 원을 올리고 있으며, 종업원 4.3명에 대한 종업원 급여 1.9억 원, 연구개발비 0.5억 원, 인앱 결제 수수료 1.6억 원을 비용으로 지출하고 있는 것으로 추정된다. 다른 비용 항목을 고려하지 않더라도 상기한 세 가지 비용만으로도 매출의 73.8%를 차지하는 원가 구조를 가지고 있으며, 인앱 결제 수수료가 모바일 생태계의 지속가능성에 큰 영향을 미치고 있음을 알 수 있다.

Keywords

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